United Kingdom

Surveillance for ‘exotic’ diseases (i.e. non-endemic diseases) in the UK is the responsibility of the Government department Defra and the Office of Animal Health (www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/diseases/monitoring/index.htm). Diseases which are notifiable are subject to statutory measures for surveillance, testing, reporting, investigation and control (www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/diseases/notifiable/horses.htm).

The following equine diseases are notifiable in the UK in accordance with the Infectious Diseases of Horses Order 1987 and Council Directives 90/426/EC & 92/35/EC:

· African Horse Sickness (http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/diseases/notifiable/africanhorse/index.htm)
· Contagious Equine Metritis (http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/diseases/notifiable/cem/index.htm)
· Dourine (http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/diseases/notifiable/dourine/index.htm)
· Epizootic Lymphangitis (http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/diseases/notifiable/epizooticlymphangitis/index.htm)

· Equine Infectious Anaemia (http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/diseases/notifiable/eia/index.htm)
· Equine Viral Encephalomyelitis, including Japanese Encephalomyelitis (http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/diseases/notifiable/viralenceph/index.htm)
· Glanders (including Farcy) (http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/diseases/notifiable/glanders/index.htm)
· West Nile Virus (http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/diseases/notifiable/westnilevirus/index.htm)

Of these, African Horse Sickness would be controlled by slaughter as specified in Council Directive 92/35/EC and the Specified Diseases (Notification and Slaughter) Order 1992.

Defra is also responsible for risk assessments and contingency planning for equine exotic diseases. A contingency plan was drawn up in 2005 and is is awaiting review (). The equine industry, including BEVA and the equine charities, are keen to work with Defra to facilitate the drawing up of risk assessments and revised contingency plans. The Horse Trust (www.horsetrust.org.uk) has recently campaigned for better preparedness for African Horse Sickness following the incursion of Blue Tongue virus into the UK in 2007.

Surveillance for endemic diseases is not conducted by Defra although Defra, BEVA and the Animal Health Trust collaborate to produce Quarterly Disease Surveillance reports (www.aht.org.uk/equine_disease.html). These reports are collations of microbiology and virology diagnostic sample submissions to the Animal Health Trust and several other diagnostic microbiology laboratories around the UK which provide a guide to infectious endemic disease prevalence in the UK. There is currently no organised system for the collection of data about non-infectious disease. BEVA, along with the equine welfare charities, believes that effective data on endemic disease prevalence is a pre-requisite for effective delivery of equine welfare and also for identification of new diseases within the UK. BEVA is currently developing plans for a pilot scheme to conduct syndromic endemic disease surveillance via the constituent organisations of the National Equine Welfare Council (www.newc.co.uk)